Cog Hill blunts cold Steele

Brendan Steele’s golf game did not mesh with the Cog Hill course in the third FedEx Cup playoff tournament last week. He managed only a 16-over-par 78-75-75-72 — 300 that finished near the bottom of the field.

The Idyllwild native did show major improvement on the final nine, however, firing a three-under-par 33 that earned $16,320 and raised his official PGA Tour earnings for his rookie year to $1,784,000 thus far. He also has earned more than $105,000 on the European Tour.

One overlooked aspect of Steele’s fine rookie season is that his caddie, longtime friend and former team member Nick Wilkins, is also a PGA Tour rookie, so they both have been having their first looks at nearly all the tour courses this year. Wilkins is also his physical therapist, which is a big plus for the young touring pro.

Although Steele is now finished with the playoffs, he still plans to play in two of the Fall Finish tournaments, which will likely further raise his official PGA Tour earnings.